The compost initiative

Rian Bedard, manger of the Me & Ollie's in downtown Portsmouth, is on a mission and is issuing a challenge to local businesses. To make it simple, call it rethinking waste.

Toby Hatchett

Rian Bedard, manger of the Me & Ollie's in downtown Portsmouth, is on a mission and is issuing a challenge to local businesses. To make it simple, call it rethinking waste.

More succinctly, call it thinking seriously about compost and what this means and how much money it can save the city and communities as well as the environment.

Me & Ollie's Café has launched a program with Earthtenders Organics Recycling.

"We are separating organic waste from our trash," said Bedard, "and sending it to Earthtenders' composting facility in Farmington, New Hampshire, where it will be made into organic compost."

This is a big step, said Bedard, even though for now it may seem a small step, but a step that must be taken. Bedard has been working closely with Eva Christensen, owner of Earthtenders.

"How this works," said Christensen, "is that in these difficult times, how can we not do whatever we can to conserve resources? It used to be considered 'patriotic' to conserve and recycle everything. Now, we're told we're told we're not patriotic if we don't consume."

Bedard says that for now, Me & Ollie's is the only business in town doing this, but he is optimistic many others will fall in line. The timing is just right for it. He said it's all about educating the public as to what can be composted and how to do it so it saves money and makes good sense for the environment.

In Me & Ollie's they have an explanatory poster over the compost, recycle and waste bins. The key is to tell people about it, so they see just what really is compostable.

"Most customers are surprised we have so much that we can compost," said Bedard. "Some local offices are so keen on it they bring back their cups and put them in our compost bins."

The cups are made of cornstarch and are compostable.

Christensen's company is certified by the state of New Hampshire. It does what it says. Bedard said 95 percent of city waste could be diverted to compost if more businesses got on board. This could not only save taxpayer dollars, but the most important result is saving the environment and reusing our limited resources.

Bedard is keen on permaculture. More than just being about composting, it's a cultural movement, a full circle. Living as close to town as possible so you can walk or bike is just one factor in the overall equation. It won't come easy, said Bedard, but it's the first step toward a new way of thinking about waste.

Bedard was certified as a permaculture designer at the Botanical Gardens in San Francisco. He later worked in the field in Berkeley, Calif. He is also licensed to teach this discipline.

"I'm from the Seacoast area and when I came back," said Bedard, "it became my passion to do it here, in downtown Portsmouth. Permaculture is like a tea bag, flowing of every single ingredient together on a daily basis."

He acknowledges this won't be easy. For starters, it costs money to begin composting. Me & Ollie's is footing the bill for now. This is also being done by Beach Pea in Kittery, Maine. He hopes more local businesses will come onboard, as they learn more and customers demand it.

"When I was being certified, we had to keep a daily journal," said Bedard. "I had to write down how I got to work, every thing I did in one day.

"It worked. It made sense. I began to see it was important to walk or bike to work. To really think about every action I took. Even the tiniest change can make a difference," said Bedard. It's a long learning curve for many people, but once you get it, you really "get it."

"Lots of people think they don't have the ability to engineer change," said Bedard. "They can. They can become empowered by just using compostable cups and so on. All the little things really add up."

Bedard credits the owner of Me & Ollie's, Roger Elkus, for giving him the funds and encouragement to push forward the composting project. He said it would not be possible without his support and encouragement.

There are so many little things that can make a big difference, said Bedard.

"For example, our customers can bring their own mugs and get coffee for $1. We can do this because they bring their own mugs and no waste products are involved. This sounds small, but it really isn't small at all.

"I really hope to able to get other local business in on this project," he added. "In the long-term, it can save the city so much money and help the environment by putting waste, good waste, back into the soil."

Eva Christensen is quick to add that many people really do want to do this and be good environmentalists and conscious of the soil, but they simply don't know how to do so. While many localities do recycle, only about 30 percent have a program for composting.

Residents put about 45 percent organic material into the trash, said Christensen. Organic waste includes food waste, yard waste, textiles, service industry items made of paper, and agricultural waste. Composting these materials turns them into soil amendments, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers as well as reducing space consumed in landfills. When not composted, these wastes generate methane — a predominant greenhouse gas.

This is a major challenge to local businesses. However, as Bedard is quick to point out, it really is just one step at a time, and educating the public. The time is right. Now.

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